Liquidation of the Armenian SIS puts an end to torture cases

The National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia will fail to endure efficient investigation of torture cases, Ara Karagezyan, a lawyer, has suggested. For proper inquiry into these cases, a separate agency is needed, Nina Karapetyants, a human rights defender, believes.

On November 3, a discussion of the consequences of the disbanding of the Special Investigating Service (SIS) was held at the Yerevan "Media Centre" Club of Public Journalism, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has reported.

In Armenia, counteracting torture and abuses is formal; and after the liquidation of the SIS, the issue of investigating torture criminal cases will remain open, Nina Karapetyants, the head of the Helsinki Association of Armenia, believes.

A brawl during the peaceful protest of the residents of "Fizgorodok" against the construction of a high-rise building testifies to the authorities' unwillingness to undertake fundamental police reforms, Ms Karapetyants has added.

"Authorities need those who use brutal force during peaceful protests. There are many examples, take at least Electric Yerevan or Amulsar," Nina Karapetyants has explained.

The police are using violence to intimidate people so that people do not go out to fight for their rights, said Vardan Arutyunyan, an activist of the "Fizgorodok". In his opinion, the Armenian police are protecting the interests of a narrow circle of people.